“Buffie” McFadyen Throws Hat In CD-3 Ring

A relief for Democrats impatiently awaiting a candidate to challenge incumbent GOP Rep. Scott Tipton of Cortez–the Denver Post'sKurtis Leebroke the news late last night:

Former Democratic state Rep. Buffie McFadyen plans to announce her candidacy this week to challenge Republican Congressman Scott Tipton in the November midterm elections.

McFadyen, who served in the legislature from 2003 until 2011, would be the lone Democrat to challenge Tipton in the GOP-leaning 3rd Congressional district that spans from southern Colorado to the Western Slope…

McFayden currently serves as a Pueblo County Commissioner and was a staunch advocate for prison employees during her time at the state Capitol.

As with any congressional candidate, former state Rep. Liane "Buffie" McFadyen will have to prove she is a serious contender with backing and money. But McFadyen could make for an interesting contest, between a popular Pueblo Democratic woman and an incumbent whose knack for remaining in office has always been more attributable to luck than skill.

Former Democratic leader in the State House and current Pueblo County Commissioner Buffie McFadyen was the recipient of some special treatment by police during a potential DUI stop in Pueblo. She was caught in a rather awkward situation — parked in a dirt lot at night, intoxicated and with a man who isn’t her husband. But she didn’t get a DUI – instead she got a ride home.

Those are the bare facts, yes. In January 2013, she and Mr. Greenwell were parked in a car, talking, at night. However, she is also absolutely correct in that there was no crime, no misdemeanor, no wrongdoing. Mcfadyen calls it "the night that nothing happened."

I can see if she was caught driving intoxicated, she should be charged like anyone else. But she was parked, not driving, and the police used their discretion to send her safely home.

And seriously, if being in a car at night, parked or driving, with someone not my husband was a crime, I and many others on here would already be locked up. The days of the Puritans are long gone, dude. We don't wear burkas here in Colorado.

Actually, an intoxicated person, in a parked car, in the driver's seat of the vehicle, in posession of the keys, can be charged with DUI. Otherwise, just pulling over and stopping would be an effective tactic. But since the officer apparently didn't test her, only the passenger, it certainly looks like he was avoiding having to charge her. That kind of "courtesy" isn't uncommon, but it doesn't make it right, either.

That being said, AC is still a scumbag who obviously gets some Puritannical glee from the "man who isn't her husband" line….or maybe he's working out some personal demons.

The keys issue is trickier (I may be off on that), and subject to interpretation by people much smarter than myself,but the pivotal words in CRS 42-1-102(27) are that a driver is defined as being in "actual physical control" of a vehicle.

And this is why you are not a professional pollster any more than the chorus of "Romney in a landslide" posters we had.

Sorry, DP, but we have to start from the knowns, and this district polls strong Lean-R to weak Likely-R year after year. McFadyen is a strong candidate, and Tipton less than stellar, but we don't have a clue where this race is going yet. If we work hard at it, we can win this race – but it's not a foregone conclusion by any stretch.

She knows people over here. She's been over here before. I know she was at a Club 20 meeting in 2006, because I was there. I think she's a good enough campaigner to spend more time over here than Pace. And I think it will be more productive time. For all practical purposes, Pace was essentially a no-show here.

A no-show Pace was better than a show-up Pace. Remember when he said there was no hospital competition in Mesa County?

McFadyen will need a solidly-united Pueblo Democratic Party behind her, which is not a gimme the way Pueblo Dems are; she'll need serious money, and she'll need a campaign staff not from D.C. or Denver but from the 3rd CD who know the territory. Pace had Denver know-it-alls and it cost hiim.

If she can do that, Tipton is very takeable. He only talks in rhetoric and has accomplished nothing. It would be nice of the TPer David Cox could beat him up some in the primary, but I'm not holding my breath.

Gertie, I agree with everything you said except two things. What Tipton has accomplished is straight TP voting – government shutdown, kick folks off unemployment, no funds to implement DREAMERs access, etc. He's a reliable conservative vote, and talks in platitudes. Yes, I think he's takeable.

Sal Pace – what a great guy he was, and is. He did not have a strong enough message to counter all of the ad spending against him. His campaign joined forces with OFA in 2012, but it was late in the year and didn't do him a whole lot of good.

I don't know McFadyen well enough to know if she can appeal to people outside of Pueblo. For sure, all the righties will be yammering on about the January 2013 alcohol-related incident (see AC's comment above – that's all the rightie media has on her, and it's just bouncing around the echo chamber).

So she's going to need to counter that narrative with some real, strong ideas and policies. I'd like to see it.

In 2011, it was reported that he spent over $7,000 on vendors that did business with his nephew's company.[17] Also in 2011, Tipton wrote an apology letter to the House Ethics Committee after it became known that his daughter was using his name in an effort to secure government contracts from other Congressional offices. In 2012, he violated House rules when his office mistakenly used taxpayer resources to promote a campaign event.[18]

A super PAC, funded by oil and gas driller SG Interests, is registered at the address of Tipton’s campaign attorney and run by a law clerk in his office. Although it is a violation of election laws for super PACs and a candidate's campaign to coordinate their activities, Tipton's attorney said: “I have specifically put up Chinese walls to make sure Charlie (law clerk) is in no way involved with the Tipton campaign, and I’m in no way involved with the Colorado Future Fund.”[19]

SG Interests is the Texas oil and gas company that wants to drill the Thompson Divide against everyone's wishes (all the local governments local people, etc.). Recently he used his franking privelege (i.e. tax money) to send out a 'survey' tp the 3rd CD that read like a very partisan worded messaging poll.

No, the Third is not Solid D, no where close. A good candidate can make it competitive, especially if Tipton gets beaten up in the Primary and Tisha stays in for the General as an Indy. But its no cakewalk.

If McFayden can get Ken Salazar's endorsement and him campaigning on the Western Slope, I like her chances. I just don't know if he's interested in campaigning but this would be huge if he wants to run for governor in four years.

Buffie needs to emphasize Tipton's disaterous support for the government shutdown last fall. His constinuents in Montrose were not pleased when they met with him about it shortly after it happened. They need to reminded that their tourist-related economies are hurt when extreme Republicans like Tipton close down National Parks and other federeal areas for silly partisan reasons.

Do you live on the Western Slope? I just wonder because as a 15-year resident and political observer out here I have to wonder what product you have been sampling… I agree Coffman is the most vulnerable, Tipton probably next, but I would have to say he remains favored.

Tipton's vote tomorrow on the "clean debt ceiling" in Washington suddenly turns interesting now that he's being challenged in the primary by a tea party patriot. Normally he would vote however the party bosses tell him to vote, but now he may have to start dusting off his tea party creds. He probably won't be able to just lie low and say as little as possible like he's done in the past.

Agree. Boehner doesn't need a very big chunk of Rs to pass the thing so Tipton can probably vote however he wants. He will be allowed to please the TP or he can choose a more grown up stance. Whatever.

Today I voted against a clean raise of the debt ceiling in the House. The $17.3 trillion national debt didn’t happen overnight. It will take a long time and a lot of work to dig our nation out, and we won’t be able to do that if we continue business as usual in Washington. Unfortunately, that’s all that the President and Congressional Democrats will accept—more of the spend-now-think-later status quo that got us here.

In the past, we’ve been able to get a dollar in spending cuts per dollar of debt ceiling increase. Given our nation’s staggering debt, raising the debt ceiling without at least getting comparable spending cuts in exchange is not appropriate. We’re on the path to bankruptcy, and many vital programs will cease to exist if we continue. That’s a crisis we need to address now. Washington needs to spend less, and chart a responsible fiscal course that ensures future generations aren’t left paying the bill for today’s decisions. I will support legislation that makes responsible spending reforms, ensures the fiscal solvency of vital programs like Social Security and Medicare, and provides the American people—this and future generations—with the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

I read that and it's absolutely clear to me that this half-wit does not understand the difference between the debt ceiling and the budget. Someone needs to sit him down and draw him some pictures with stick men so it sinks in. Also, it's not as if the President hands down a budget for the House to approve or not. Does he understand that his chamber writes the budget to begin with?

His high-paid taxpayer funded staff writes it up based on the latest TeaNut talking points–when they are not writing election messaging polls to send out courtesy of the American taxpayer.

All week previous 'he' had been posting dribble about the millons of lost jobs under the ACA. Someone in his office is a liar, smart enough to know its BS, but whether that person is the Congressman is unclear IMO.

Former Democratic leader in the State House and current Pueblo County Commissioner Buffie McFadyen was the recipient of some special treatment by police during a potential DUI stop in Pueblo. She was caught in a rather awkward situation — parked in a dirt lot at night, intoxicated and with a man who isn’t her husband. But she didn’t get a DUI – instead she got a ride home.

You have two identical posts on the same thread. I think you should make a lot of noise about this story. Go on ahead and get it out there loudly, clearly, and often. Be as nasty and vilifying as you can. Yell, stamp your foot, and self righteously point your finger. You big bully.

No, you weren't. But if you did do those things you would be a bully. And two posts so close together looks a tad spiteful, like fifth grade, mean girl stuff.

I'm wondering how much more quickly the general public will get tired of the growing nastiness in our politics and start to ignore it. I'm not referring to your echo chamber folks. For them it's better than meth. They are quite addicted to it.

Being that I'm a product of CD3 (born in Pueblo, raised in Pueblo and Eagle) I thought I would chime in.

First off, let's consider this fact – the largest city in CD3 is Pueblo, yet every candidate of recent memory comes from outside of Pueblo (John Salazar, McInnis, Tipton). Why is this?

I hope this doesn't sound biased, but I'm going to say it – Western Slope people are incredibly hardy. We're used to driving around mountains, and going from one long desitination to another really doesn't seem like a big deal. Case in point? When I ran for HD56, a trip to Denver felt like 10 minutes. Now that I live in Los Angeles? I dramaqueen about a 30 minute trip from Venice Beach to West Hollywood. Overall, when you live on the Western Slope, your body just gets use to difficult drives and long distances. It's almost a 'state-of-mind' type of thing.

Second, there's a special 'charm' that comes from living on the Western Slope. What I mean is that… every town on the Western Slope is so SMALL, you have to go to great lengths to make sure you never piss anyone off. In turn, you develop this special charm of being able to ask for what you want, hold your ground, but still manage to make sure you haven't upset the other party. This is not insincere. It's merely a result of the fact that, again, towns are so small, you honestly never know how and when someone in the community may pop up again in your life. And life on the Western Slope can get rugged – believe me, if you're car slides out on I-70, and you're buried in snow, you better hope the car that stops to help you isn't driven by the guy you just said "Go f*ck yourself" to. I would classify this as 'cowboy' charisma, and when practiced with sincerity, it's downright charming.

Now, you're all reading this and saying "Gee, Ali, if Western Slopers are so terrific, why don't they control every statewide seat???" to which I have two answers –

1. Western Slopers tend to get great satisfaction from serving their local communities, and if anything, don't carry the ambition to take on statewide races.

2. Western Slopers (well, most of us) can't stand the 'lobbyist-contributor' game – a game that every statewide candidate has to play, which includes LOTS of kissing up. Again, it's hard for a cowboy to kiss-up, especially if its insincere.

Which gets me to Buffie – I'm a Democrat and I want her to win. With that said, considering the past history of candidates that Pueblo has fielded for CD3, it does not look good. Which leads me to this advice –

How can Buffie win?

1. CAMPAIGN TEAM – Buffie needs a STELLAR campaign team, ones that are familiar with the Western Slope. I don't know who managed John Salazar's campaign, but if there's one person Buffie needs to kiss up to, it's JSalazar's campaign manager. CD3 is a MONSTER district. Many candidates will lose their heads with the travel alone. However, the biggest mistake (and I learned this when I ran briefly for SD8) is how much time you could potentially waste. Ultimately, you're better off connecting strongly with 10 people in each county of CD3, then you are handing out candy at a county fair parade (and why candidates pick parades as their main campaign tool of recoginition??? It's beyond me. You make ZERO contact at parades). The reason I say this? Again, CD3 is all small towns. People talk. And a sincere candidate (with real people, who love him) will have fans who inform the entire community of one's sincerity. With that said, the people who ran John Salazar's campaign understood this, and right now, as Democrats, if we want to win this district, it's not because Buffie is a great candidate (which she is) but it's because there's people in our Party who have won CD3 before and can win it again. And again, if I'm Buffie, the goal is to establish 10 to 20 close relationships in each county – that's a good starting off point.

2. INTELLIGENCE – Western Slopers are NOT won over by charisma (believe me, I learned this fast). They want intelligence. They want people who talk straight, know what they're talking about, and make sense. Platitudes and cliches will lose, and lose bad. I hope Buffie is boning up on isses related to the Pine Beetle, Water Rights, Forest Management, Oil (fracking, etc) and I-70 traffic. Of note, Western Slopers do appreciate hearing "I don't know the answer to that, but I will study the subject" and "I know you disagree with me, but that is where I honestly stand."

3. ENERGY – If I'm not mistaken, I believe Buffie has a young child, and as a new father, I can only imagine how hard it is to leave home. That said, she needs to be ready to campaign HARD this summer, when there is no school. I'm talking road trips all over CD3 and cheap motels. Bring the family with you, Buffie. It'll be a great experience and more fulfilling with people you love at your side.

That's my best thoughts on this race. Otherwise, I check in here about once a week or so. Life is going well in Los Angeles – definitely miss this board and everyone back in Colorado. With love – Miguel Ali